Pigeon fancier Ronnie Patterson is locked in a planning wrangle with elderly care home residents.

Pigeon fancier Ronnie Patterson is locked in a planning wrangle with elderly care home residents.

Mr Patterson's birds live in the lap of luxury in one of the most impressive lofts in the North East.

He has spent thousands of pounds on their accommodation in his back garden which is complete with ultra-violet lighting, electric fans and burglar alarms.

But now the 55-year-old businessman, of Blyth, Northumberland, finds himself at the centre of a huge row over the 90 pigeons - valued at &#xA3;28,000 - he keeps at his home.

The wrangle started when he was told he should have had planning permission for his loft and submitted an application seeking retrospective approval.

Sixteen elderly people living in the nearby Malvins Close House care home have signed a petition objecting to his birds claiming there is early morning noise and pigeon droppings which hit windows and benches.

Home owner Cameron Warwick has also submitted a letter of objection and five other separate objections have been received by Blyth Valley Council.

But the council's planning officers are recommending permission be granted to Mr Patterson with a possible condition to restrict times of activity at the site.

Now councillors are going to make a site visit before reaching a final decision on the dispute.

Mr Patterson feels he is being unfairly singled out as there are other pigeon fanciers in the area whose birds fly around it and he says his own birds are barely noticeable most of the time.

He said: "I dispute the validity of the petition from the 16 residents of the care home. I don't believe that the facts they have stated come out of their own free minds.

"The care home residents are hardly ever out in the garden. The last time I saw any of them was the Queen's Jubilee when there were two people outside.

"I'm very proud of my pigeon lofts. The area is vermin proof with walls on all sides and there is a decontamination area at the entrance.

"If I don't keep it tidy my wife Maureen will go off it. We love to sit out in the garden on summer nights.

"Why is there a complaint three years later? Nobody complained for three years. All of a sudden there's a complaint. If I thought I was genuinely upsetting those residents I would pack in my pigeons tomorrow."

Mr Patterson, who runs a sawmill business in Chester-le-Street, has challenged the owner and residents of the home to provide proof that they suffer from mess caused by his pigeons' droppings or noise problems early in the morning.

He is also collecting signatures from his neighbours for a counter-petition of support.

The report from planning officers to Blyth Valley Council said: "...the balance of judgement is that the impact of the proposal will not be disproportionate to the benefits that flow from the development."

Mr Warwick said today: "I don't want to make a comment at all.

"This will have a detrimental effect on my business and that's why I don't want to speak to you. I refuse to debate things in newspapers."